Isle of Mannabis Part Two: Joint therapy

The cannabis joint has been passed around the circles of cultures subversive, subterranean or otherwise since its introduction to the modern world, all the while remaining a loyal mate to the Hindu babas who giggled when they passed the pipe to the British Raj.

Cannabis went with the beats to the Jazz clubs of Greenwich Village and honed in on the moments where Bird would blow his top. It’s gone back to the bedrooms of the sixties, where teenagers smoked and lay about on their hips and got called hippies when they grew out their hair.

But you can maybe add your rheumatic Nana to that circle now too. She mightn’t be the type who likes to sink into a beanbag whilst Pink Floyd are on, she could well be as straight as the birch she’s calling to be brought back, but she can sit next to the cannabis refugees, parents of epileptic children considered criminals for their despair and endeavors to seek a quality of life for their child because conventional treatments have failed them too.

You see, there’s this thing called CBD and it relegates the cannabis taboo to toothpaste. It can be found in tinctures of oils labelled with a Dutchman’s name in stacks behind the counters of the health food shops, in e-liquids for vapes, in body salves, as gummy bears like Haribo, and some Geordie brewers have even gone and crafted a CBD infused ale.

It is being attributed for its therapeutic use and what is bolstering its reputation on Island is the testimony of those exploring its benefits. Defectors of conventional medicine, who have been expected to comply to the liver wreck of a doctor prescribed pick and mix.

Painkillers, steroids, pills, suffers of chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, polymyalgia, rheumatism, arthritis and MS have been stuck within a vicious pharma-cycle of drugs took on top of drugs to manage the side effects of yet, more drugs.

CBD or cannabidiol is non-psychotropic and a nonintoxicant, meaning that a whitey after a daily dose of drops under the tongue is utterly impossible.

Global attitudes are shifting and the people pining for social progression are calling for a millennial age of new-pragmatism, the issue of cannabis or the non-issue to its advocates, is gaining an attention well beyond Colorado Dispensaries, California vending machines and Amsterdam cafes.

Gef caught up with Emma and Simon of CBD Mann, a locally based online retailer of CBD to get the insight into therapeutic cannabis.

What I’m curious about is the legality. We can’t grow it here on the Island because of the THC content, yet we can buy it no problem. In the health food stores, it’s being sold as a ‘food supplement’ not as medicine, is that deliberate?

“All CBD Products have to contain less than 0.2% or Nil THC to comply with UK & EU law.

So many people find using hemp food supplements helpful to maintain and improving their health. It’s exactly the same as taking a vitamin or mineral supplement which compensates for any deficiency in your diet, or if your body is failing to absorb nutrients properly. But even if you eat a balanced diet you won’t be getting the nutrients that hemp can provide.

To be clear, hemp is cannabis. They are the same plant. However, the cannabis that food supplements are made from is properly called ‘industrial hemp’ and it is restricted to containing less than 0.2% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive cannabinoid that causes the cannabis ‘high’.

However, it does contain all the other compounds, in particular, cannabidiol (CBD), the other cannabinoid that is increasingly being seen by scientists and doctors as vital for good health.”

So when it comes to marketing CBD, how are you pitching it to people? You say that CBD boosts well being. So is it something we can all can use and benefit from?

“There are thousands of supplements available on the health food market today. However, Cannabidiol is already standing out as something that is both new and potentially very exciting.

In a busy, stressful world, CBD offers a natural way to achieve calm, relaxation and wellbeing thanks to its broad protective properties and it can be taken in a range of formats, including oils, gums, sprays and more.”

Do you recommend your products for treating something in particular? Some sufferers of chronic pain consider CBD oil when traditional painkillers seem redundant.

“We cannot make any medical claims. Although there is still a hangover from all the scare stories and misinformation around cannabis, science is now proving that in fact it is one of the most important plants on the planet and has a great deal of benefit to offer.

Potential customers have to do their own research. Our website offers free information. If there are any questions that we cannot answer we have our trusted sources to ask for guidance. Education is very important all round.”

Each country and Island nation seemingly, have their own movements for cannabis to be medicalised and made available by prescription. Yet if CBD is on the market now and proving effective in helping people manage certain conditions, why are people pushing for medical cannabis?

“CBD and THC are very similar in terms of the benefits they provide to the endo-cannabinoid system.

THC has been shown to have some extra benefits that CBD does not provide mainly when dealing with cancer as well as with extra benefits for pain relief.

Also, studies show that the more cannabinoids that are used in conjunction with CBD the better as they add to the CBD efficacy increasing its positive effects in the body.

This year alone forecast for CBD products is estimated to be a 10 billion dollar industry, and the number of people searching online has skyrocketed by 96%, most likely due to the increasing positive reinforcement across the globe.”

As retailers of a perfectly legal product then, do you feel it your responsibility to educate the wider public on CBD? Given the stigma attached to cannabis, there’s obviously a certain perception people have that you’ll need to address, how do you plan on shifting attitudes?

People’s attitude towards cannabis is already changing. On the very day we launched CBD Mann, ITV’s ‘Gone To Pot’ was aired. Exploring the use of marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes in US states where it is legal and met people who have experienced both the benefits and the downsides.

We were surprised to find that a lot of messages on our CBD Mann Facebook page and on our website were coming from our mums & dads age group.

Educating people on CBD and our products is something we are passionate about.

And just for the record to the Rheumatic and old fashioned Nana, who may have forgot this 1848 article in the Manx Sun, a Medico-Botanical society extract taken from the Provincial Medical Journal on Indian Hemp:

‘this plant is possessed of extraordinary powers, as a sedative, narcotic and anti spasmodic remedy… the intoxication of which is the most cheerful kind, when sleep supervenes it is not followed by nausea or sickness, nor by any symptom save light giddiness, worth recording.. the litheness attending relaxation and the increase of appetite have made some old rheumatic persons speak of it as the elasticity of youth.’

So with a spoonful of sugar you’ll be back to chopping the turnips and giggling like a baba in no time.